Biography

Butch Vig and Duke Erikson played in various commands like Spooner and Fire Town before they founded their own group. Vig was famous for his producing work - especially for his input in the Nevermind album by Nirvana. Vig and Erikson founded their independent label and decided to gather a full-time band - Steve Marker accompanied them in this wish. However, the collective needed a soloist. The artists paid their attention to British vocalist Shirley Manson, who sang with Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie and later with Angelfish. The red-haired beauty came for the audition, but it was not a success. Nevertheless, all the four found out that they had similar tastes for music. When the Angelfish collective disbanded, Manson agreed for the second audition for Garbage, as the artists decided to call their creation this way. That time, the quartet got down to the debut record immediately. The Garbage members did not want the bidding war for their contract due to Vig's popularity - that is why they sent their demos to the studios without any bio of personal details.

The first single Vow became the sensation in rock music world. The listeners remembered the low-pitch sexual vocals by Shirley, and album Garbage, released in 1995, was a big success with the public. Dark tracks Only Happy When It Rains and Milk, along with the aggressive Stupid Girl helped the band to gain in fame and Garbage went on a tour immediately. In March 1997, the members of Garbage started the record of their sophomore attempt. As they were not going to change their sound, but rather grow up as lyricists, the disc was titled Version 2.0. The album was ready in the beginning of 1998, and produced such hits as Push It, winding I Think I'm Paranoid and Special. Later, the singles The Trick Is To Keep Breathing, the emotional ballad You Look So Fine and When I Grow Up saw light - the last one scored to the soundtrack of the Big Daddy film. In August 1999, the striking single The World Is Not Enough for the James Bond picture was released. After it, Garbage headed on a tour around Australia along with Alanis Morissette. In 2001, the band began working over the third studio album, but they had to postpone it due to the label problems - Almo Sounds, to which Garbage was sighed, was bought by the UMG. After the court processes, the band switched to the Interscope. The artists had to give up the idea of the B-sides collection, but the Beautiful Garbage disc saw light in September 2001. It differed from the previous creations with the significant electronica slant - which is audible on the rhythmical single Cherry Lips.

Shirley Manson changed her image for the release and colored her hair platinum blonde. Unluckily, the band had to refuse from the support tour after the Terrorist Attack of September 11, 2001. The record of the fourth disc by Garbage began in March 2003. The process was stopped after Shirley had to undergo an operation on her vocal chords - the doctors prohibited her to sing until August. Nevertheless, when the vocalist was in condition to sing, tension in the band almost resulted in the Garbage collapse - Manson came to her native Scotland, while Vig moved to Los Angeles. For some time, the musicians communicated only through the Web, but they gathered again in the studio and finished the Bleed Like Me record in 2005. Track Why Do You Love Me became the smash hit, while such songs like Boys Wanna Fight and Metal Heart showed the disapproval of the Iraq War by the Garbage members. In 2006, the band went on a hiatus in order to let Shirley record her solo work, although the artists gathered in the studio to record the best hits collection Absolute Garbage in 2007. Recently, it also became known that Shirley Manson would play a regular role in the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles series.

Garbage singer Shirley Manson was one of the most complicated and charismatic women in 90s mainstream rock, balancing power and pliability, mercurial sexuality and fears and emotions. Garbage has consistently

Singles

Compilation albums

Absolute Garbage successfully covers almost entire catalogue of Garbage's singles and serves as the great compilation of their best songs. Besides the musicians penned a brand new song especially for this album that gorgeously fits in with other hits